day off from school with tired kids....

Well, I let them watch the movie, and by the time they settled down, it was very late, or should I say very early. They were up this morning by 7:30. They are outside playing in the chilly gloomy damp weather, happily. I don't think they'll last long. Oh, here they are already. Kathryn wants to go in the hot tub, but there are too many kids. They want to sneak out without Charlotte Claire and Camille knowing.

Well, bloggers beware." The Federal Trade Commission has taken steps to make product information and online reviews more accurate for consumers, REGULATING BLOGGING for the first time and mandating that testimonials relect typical results. The FTC will require that writers on the Web clearly disclose any freebies they get from companies for reviewing their products." Blah blah blah. " The guides are not binding law, but rather interpretations of law that hope to help advertisers comply with regulations. Violating the rules, which take effect Dec. 1, could result in various sanctions, including a lawsuit......" So if the Reliable Baking Company is paying me to mention their product on my blog, I need to spell that out. Well, it shouldn't be a problem for me, because no one pays me to do anything on here. (or anywhere else, for that matter). I just do not like the government getting their hot little hands on more and more. When I watch a movie, and there are Cheetos and Fritos and Cheerios and the labels are facing the camera so clearly, is there a disclaimer on the bottom of the screen that the filmmakers got a little $$ to display said items? Oh come on. Leave Us Alone, Government!!!! Trying to protect people from themselves. Because people are Sooooo Stoooopid. This article was in my local paper, but it was The Associated Press. I don't want to get in any trouble for not stating sources. Is blogging going to be like being in English class again, being graded by the FTC?

I also read an article about Mr. O.'s new plan of expanding the school day and the school year. He compares our system to the Japanese, who are in school for like 600 hours a week. Now, he should get his history book out, and read about their culture. They have respect and hard work sown in to them from birth. I have also read that the suicide rate for teens who feel they haven't met with such high expectations is quite steep in Japan. So Mr. O thinks that he can keep our kids in school longer, and they'll learn more. He has also drawn the comparison to charter schools, how they have longer hours and better test scores....duh, kids who go to those schools probably have parents who take time with them and read them bedtime stories. Anyway.....

So I don't get paid to say what I like and don't like, but I do like my Dyson vacuum. I like my recliner, too, but I don't remember the brand. I like Pantene Pro-V for curls, but only when I have a really good coupon and it is on sale. I like Blockbuster because the plan I pay $10 a year for lets me rent shelf titles for TWO for 99 cents, Monday through Wednesday. And if I keep them a while, no late fees. Unless I keep them extra long, then I pay a restocking fee, but it is less than $2. I like McDonalds, the most popular and most hated corporation in the world, because the dollar menu is cheap, and as my son Joseph says, "How can anyone hate McDonalds? It tastes so good!" Okay, I am not stoooopid, it is not healthy, and it adds up, and we should just blow it off the face of the earth for the good of mankind, but still - I like it. They have really good coffee. They even put the cream in for me at the drive-through now.

My little girls fight alot. I try to work with them about it. The ones I am referring to are my five-in-a-row-in-five-years-girls. (Margaret is 12, Kathryn 11, Evelyn 10, Suzanne 8 1/2, and Sonja is seven.) Sam is two years older than Margaret, and then Mali is 15. Mali and Margaret wouldn't want me to reveal just how much they have fought through the years, but I will say this: they have been friends lately, because of SongMission. They have been working together,and it is incredibly heartwarming to see them be friends. Anyway, the fighting and squabbling that is done by the other four girls is surprising. Don't get me wrong, they are also best best best friends, with so many fun things going on and things to do together. When one yells at another, and the arguing starts, I try to get the offender out of the situation and make her sit in a chair until she can tell me she will not fight anymore. And that yes, it may have been just a teeny bit her fault. Not exactly a punishment, but a little admitting-the-truth-about-herself-session. Thinking. Letting the spirit of blame have a chance to hightail it. Well, add two sweet little cousins, ages 11 and 9, and what do you have? Lots more fun, and a few more fights. Not because of them, they are nice nice girls. Just because my girls will get jealous and have these little spats. Right now, all is calm. Evelyn is making tea for all the girls who are gettting out of the hot tub.

They have to work hard to get along sometimes, especially because there are four children in a small bedroom, with all their stuff. But I don't feel sorry for them. It is like an endless sleepover at our house. They always have someone to play with, even if one of them is reading a book and doesn't want to play. They are learning important lessons here, too.

They played dare in the hot tub, which involved getting out of the hot water and going on the swings, and running around the house. No one chose "Truth", so they played "Dare Dare".....now they are freezing. Our heat doesn't work yet, so I should go bake them some cookies or something....they are having cocoa and tea and I am offering them socks. I have a whole basket of matched socks! Not that they need to match in the house. But it feels nice. Our whole room full of clothes is still at the cleaners. I just have clothes here that were in their rooms or the hall closet. I have bought socks, too. I had to. Last night I matched a bunch. See, when you are not a great housekeeper, those little accomplishments really feel nice.

Well, I have to go put some bedding in the washer. Or should I say, I GET to go put some bedding in the washer. It is still like playing house. I love doing laundry. I still don't like putting it away when it comes out of the dryer although bedding isn't bad. The front loader is great for bedding, too, because I don't have to put it in evenly around the agitator. Just open the door, push the stuff in the washer, put the detergent in the neat little dispenser, and push all the fun buttons.

Well.....I have sat here too long...but oh, it is nice to have no school today. Mr. O. will probably take Columbus Day away first. Then Veterans' Day. Because it IS the government's job to make sure our kids are taken care of. Yes sir.